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Miscellaneous Material culture - Coggle Diagram
Miscellaneous Material culture
Bluebeard pediment
Three winged, bearded, male figures, nude to the waist, are merged at the waist into a twisting tail of a snake
The first holds a bird, the second a stream of water, and the third a flame
each of these could thus represent a leading man from each of the three aristocratic families that vied for power before Peisistratus took it - one of the plains, the coast, and the mountains
alternatively, these could represent different nature elements of air, water, fire. the snakes on the ground represent earth. this could thus have a big cosmic meaning
the pediment could belong to the temple of the Dorpfeld foundations, or another temple of the acropolis
the dorpfeld foundations on the acropolis - pre 480 but don’t know precise date, probably first foundation on the acropolis
sculptures stylistically dated to 570, but they fit in terms of dimensions to the temple
Vix Krater
found in an inhumation burial underneath a tumulus, but originally probably spartan
the greatest find in the tumulus was the vix krater, a bronze krater of a height of 1.63m and over 200kg
The krater was made of seven or more individual pieces with alphabetical markings, suggesting it was transported to Burgundy and assembled in situ
A frieze of hoplites decorates the neck of the vessel
Herms
herms were statues that were placed along the roads around athens, at crossings and boundaries, thought to ward off evil
they were formed of a square column, with the head of a man and a penis carved at an appropriate height
the name either comes from the fact that Hermes was commonly portrayed as the head, or the greek word érma, meaning blocks of stone
distances were often inscribed on them
In 415 BC, before the Sicilian Expedition, all of the Athenian hermai were vandalized. Many people at the time thought such an impious act would threaten the success of the expedition
to me, represents a turn to more democratic statues as opposed to kouroi. the emphasis on the penis emphasises reproduction of more democratic citizens
Discobolus
460-450BC
transforming a routine athletic activity into a representation of balance and harmony
represents athletic prowess and noble nudity
The torso shows no muscular strain, even though the limbs are outflung
The ancient Olympic Games were not just sporting events but were deeply intertwined with Greek culture and religion
Anavyssos Kouros
the inscription, on the base that was found nearby and is commonly associated with the kouros, says 'stay and mourn at the marker of Kroisos whom fierce Ares destroyed, fighting in the front ranks’
characterises the individual and denotes him as a warrior
shown wearing cloth cap on his head, one which you wear beneath your metal helmet, again denotes warrior
given an unusual growth of pubic hair, razored into specific shape, which shows self-care of aristocracy during this period
pubic region is also quite childlike, he has the lower half of a pubescent or pre-pubescent boy
but the rest of his body resembles an older man at peak physical fitness
so this could be a composite of an ideal man when considered in a pederastic context
This statue is called the Anavysos Kouros because it was found near the town of Anavysos in Greece.
Croesus Amphora
by Myson, 500-480 BC (Louvre)
Croesus king of Lydia (c. 560-540), garlanded with laurel, holding his sceptre and making a libation from a phiale - on a high pyre stoked by his servant (named Euthymos)
Bacchylides' Ode 3 of 460s BC suggests that Croesus built the pyre himself and mounted it as an act of suicide, but was saved by Zeus, aligning with this depiction
yet Herodotus, from the third quarter of the 5th century, writes in his first book that Croesus was placed on the pyre by Cyrus himself, who then had a change of heart and called on Apollo tor rescue the pyre
